SumTotal Transforms E-Learning for One of China’s Largest Internet Brands

SumTotal Systems Inc. announced that Tencent, a China-based Internet and telecom value-added service provider, will use SumTotal’s talent management software to transform e-learning capabilities for the company’s 3,000 employees.

Tencent, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, hosts Asia’s No. 1 — and the world’s third-most-popular — instant messaging service, with more than 270 million Chinese users on its QQ messaging service platform.

To date, Tencent has purchased SumTotal’s TotalLMS — a learning management system (LMS) that delivers and tracks education via the Internet — as well as ToolBook, SumTotal’s solution for developing software simulations and e-learning content. With these products, Tencent aims to revitalize its e-learning system — Q-Learning — to better deliver strategic, cultural and procedural information, while improving employee productivity and enhancing customer service.

“Tencent is founded on innovation, and this innovation stems from our people. Therefore, staff training is a key focus for the company. In addition to traditional training and learning methods, we have been looking forward to implementing a structured and comprehensive e-learning system,” said Xi Dan, director of human resources for Tencent.

Tencent CEO Ma Tang has said that “staff are the company’s primary asset,” and significant investments have been allocated for staff training programs each year. However, the speed with which Tencent’s business is growing has meant it requires an even more robust platform in order to accelerate the speed with which the company can develop its staff’s skills.

“Our people receive specific training when they first enter the company, including a series of foundation courses that acquaint them with the company’s core business, strategy and culture. We believe SumTotal can help us deliver these online courses and build in the assessments that will tell us how well our employees are learning what they need to know to provide superior customer service,” Xi said.

Using TotalLMS and ToolBook, Tencent can create standards-based simulations, tutorials, assessments, courses and interactive content that the company believes will play a large role in advancing a positive working environment focused on innovation and excellence.

With SumTotal, Tencent will transform its Q-Learning system into a comprehensive learning tool that will be used by frontline managers, staff and training managers. In revitalizing its Q-Learning system, Tencent has a number of specific goals, including:

• Delivering company strategy, culture and procedures rapidly and accurately to every employee via training.

• Transforming individual employee experience and expertise into tangible information that can be used broadly across the company.

• Increasing the efficiency and lowering the costs of training operations.

• Providing training capabilities anytime, anywhere.

The implementation of TotalLMS is in process and expected to be up and running later this year.